This invention relates in general to a vehicular automatic transmission and, more particularly, to a system for monitoring the same to indicate malfunctioning or low fluid level for anticipating potential damage therefrom.
The vast majority of current automobiles incorporate automatic transmissions for transferring torque developed by the engine to the wheels in order that the automobile will smoothly accelerate and shift from low to high gear ratio, as well as vice versa. Within approximately the last 25 years, the automatic transmission has developed into an efficient, yet very complicated mechanism, which when in need of service can be very expensive to repair. Heretofore, a vehicle operator would not be made immediately aware if the fluid pressure within the transmission were to become unacceptably low and could not, therefore, be enabled to correct the low pressure problem before the transmission was seriously damaged as a result thereof.
It has been discovered that most automatic transmission malfunctions requiring costly repair can be attributed to one fundamentally easily perceived condition namely, low transmission fluid pressure; and, thus, if the operator of the vehicle were made cognizant of this condition at the inception thereof, he could then by means of only minor repair or adjustment prevent serious damage to the transmission. For example, if the transmission fluid filter were partially or fully clogged, such could be rectified by cleaning.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a system for monitoring the operation of an automatic transmission in a vehicle to indicate malfunction or low fluid level therein.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for monitoring the operation of an automatic transmission which does not necessitate any modification of the transmission, nor involve costly installation within an automobile whereby the present system is adapted for application to existing vehicles as an accessory therefor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system of the character stated which comprises a limited number of basically conventional components which are economically produced.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a system of the character stated which comprises durable components which render the system fully reliable in operation; which may be installed in vehicles in a relatively rapid, economic manner; and the utilization of which markedly contributes to the efficient longevity of the automatic transmission.